• 


1 


I  Studies  in 

.Early  American  History. 


IjJf      THE  LEGENDS  OF 

JEKYL  ISLAND. 


Ipi 

mil 


FRANKLIN  H.  HEAD. 


'     wi^^^HB 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND 


STUDIES 


IN 


THE 


Legends  of  Jekyl  Island 

BY 

FRANKLIN  H.  HEAD 


Ma^na  cst  veritas,  et  prevalebit. 

Truth,  crushed  to  earth,  shall  rise  again. 
The  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers, 
But  Error,  wounded,  writhes  with  pain, 
And  dies  amid  her  worshippers. 


CHICAGO 

I'KirATELV    1'KINTED 


i  ;F.\.     I  \MK.s    K. 


TO  MY  VALUED  FRIEND, 

EDWARD    G.    MASON, 
PRESIDENT  OF  THE  CHICAGO  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY, 

AND  AUTHOR  OF 
"THE  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS," 

NOT  ALONE  AS  A  MARK  OF  HIGH  PERSONAL  ESTEEM,  BUT 

IN  RECOGNITION  OF  HIS  EQUALLY  PAINSTAKING  AND 

ACCURATE  LABORS  IN  SIMILAR  FIELDS 

OF  HISTORICAL  RESEARCH. 


The  Legends  of  Jekyl  Island. 


SOME  years  since,  during  the  same  week; 
I  heard  Jekyl  Island  described  from  two 
po  standpoints.  It  was  soon  after  its  purchase 
co  by  an  association  of  gentlemen  forming  the 
^  well-known  Jekyl  Island  Club.  Two  of  my 
g  friends  gave  me  a  glowing  account  of  this  newly 
"""  found  island  of  Atlantis.  A  semi-tropical  island 
^  off  the  coast  of  southern  Georgia  ;  17,000  acres 
in  of  beautiful  land,  mostly  covered  with  choice 

CM 

g  timber,  1,400  deer  ranging  the  forest,  green  tur- 
tle marching  in  uninterrupted  procession  along 
the  silvery  beach,  a  lake  of  500  acres  so  packed 
with  terrapin  as  to  resemble  a  cedar  block 

;~5  pavement,  flocks  of  quail  and  partridge  dark- 
ening the  air,  oysters  of  incomparable  flavor 

'•-z       everywhere,  and  all  purchased  at  an  unheard  of 

<  bargain,  for  the  beggarly  pittance  of  §125,000. 
Once  in  every  man's  life  comes  to  him  his 
opportunity,  and  my  two  friends  felt  and  re- 
joiced that  theirs  had  nor  passed  unheeded  by. 


S  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

for  each  had  secured  a  share  in  this  enchanted 
island. 

A  few  days  later  I  met  and  chatted  with  a 
man  whom  many  of  us  in  Chicago  remember 
as  Jim  Kelly,  who  was  on  a  visit  to  Chicago 
from  his  Florida  plantation.  Said  Jim,  "  I  like 
Florida  just  because  I'm  well  there  and  am  not 
well  anywhere  else.  A  man  with  an  orange 
grove  can  get  a  modest  living,  but  when  it 
comes  to  doing  business  or  making  money,  of 
course  the  chances  in  any  part  of  the  South 
are  comparatively  small.  Still,"  continued  Jim, 
"sometimes  a  man  gets  struck  by  lightning 
even  there.  I  have  a  cousin  who  owned  an 
island  off  the  Georgia  coast,  17.000  acres  of 
sand  and  swamp.  You  couldn't  raise  anything 
on  it  :  there  was  some  scattering,  but  utterly 
worthless,  timber.  He  had  tried  for  years  to 
sell  it,  to  trade  it  off,  or  to  mortgage  it,  but  he 
couldn't  do  either.  In  fact,"  concluded  Jim, 
"the  whole  thing  wasn't  worth  a  damn,  but 
lately  he  picked  up  a  lot  of  rich  suckers  from 
New  York,  Boston  and  Chicago,  and  sold  them 
hi>Jekyl  Island  for  Si  25,000." 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  9 

I  rccogni/ed  with  interest  and  delight,  as 
often  before,  the  widely  variant  conclusions 
from  the  points  of  view ;  and  when,  in  the 
spring  of  1892,  my  friends  King  and  McCagg, 
who  were  members  of  the  club,  invited  me  to 
visit  the  island  as  their  guest,  I  accepted  with 
delight,  eager  to  see  for  myself  the  picture 
which  had  been  before  me  in  such  contrasted 
lights. 

I  found  the  March  climate  of  the  island  in- 
vigorating and  delightful ;  the  bridle  paths  and 
roads  through  the  forest  wisely  planned  and 
charming  ;  the  drive  of  a  dozen  miles  along  the 
firm  and  shining  beach  the  joy  of  a  lifetime. 
The  absence  of  the  1,400  deer,  the  quail,  part- 
ridges and  terrapin  was  explained  by  the 
statement  that  the  committee  of  three  who 
visited  the  island  prior  to  its  purchase,  had 
eaten  them,  although  a  tradition  is  still  current 
that  on  a  certain  remote  and  possibly  mythical 
Sunday,  terrapin  soup  was  served  to  some  of 
the  early  inhabitants. 

The  clubhouse  was  well  planned  for  its  pur- 
pose ;  the  company  choice,  intellectual  and  in 


10  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

ever}-  way  agreeable.  All  members  of  the  club 
worthy  of  their  exalted  heritage  were  busily 
employed  in  doing  nothing  and  in  doing  it 
thoroughly  and  well.  A  few  members  who 
were  looking  about  for  something  to  do,  who 
watched  anxiously  for  the  newspapers  and 
sought  to  adulterate  the  atmosphere  of  the 
island  with  the  airs  and  cares  of  the  outer 
world,  were  frowned  upon,  and  their  expulsion 
would  have  been  considered,  except  that  the 
consideration  of  even  so  self-evident  a  neces- 
sity would  have  required  an  effort.  The  Vice 
President  and  acting  executive,  of  dignified  and 
stately  presence,  was  a  man  of  abounding  en- 
erg}-  and  fire,  which  was  exercised  daily  and 
hourly  in  the  transferring  until  the  day  after 
to-morrow  of  the  things  which  should  have 
been  done  yesterday.  In  a  word,  the  island  is 
an  ideal  resting  pi. ice  for  the  man  of  affairs. 
The  visitors  during  my  stay  were  largely  of 
middle  lite,  upon  whom  ease  with  dignity  sat 
gracefully.  Yet  even  there,  and  among  them, 
the  sprightly  arrow-shooting  god  played  havoc, 
and  one  of  the  loved  and  honored  members,  in 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  11 

sequence  thereof,  met  there  smilingly  his  doom, 
and  now  wanders,  no  longer  alone,  in  far  away 
Cathay,  hand  in  hand  with  his  happy  fate,  and 
renews  under  occidental  skies  the  dreams  of 
his  golden  youth. 

I  found  upon  the  island  certain  ruins,  pre- 
historic, so  far  as  the  present  inhabitants  were 
informed,  but  concerning  which  sundry  and 
contradictory  legends  were  current.  The  gen- 
eral trend  of  the  local  folklore  was  that  the 
island  had  once  belonged  to  General  Ogle- 
thorpe,  the  founder  and  governor  of  the  Georgia 
colony.  A  solitary  chimney  was  supposed  to 
mark  the  site  of  the  gubernatorial  palace.  Cer- 
tain mounds  and  pits  near  the  shore  were,  by 
the  different  schools  of  archaeologists  upon  the 
island,  variously  claimed  to  represent  the  work 
of  the  A/.tec  Mound  Builders,  diggings  for  the 
buried  treasures  of  Captain  Kidd,  and  earth- 
works erected  during  the  late  war  to  protect 
blockade  runners  escaping  to  the  Bermudas. 
In  view  of  these  conflicting  theories,  and  of  the 
lack  of  accurate  information  on  the  part  even 
of  the  members  of  the  Jekyl  Island  Club, 


12  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

the  antiquarian  zeal,  the  fren/.y,  a  la  Herodo- 
tus, which,  radiating  from  the  President  of  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society,  animates  all  its 
members,  urged  me  to  learn  what  I  could  of  the 
history  of  the  island,  and  I  place  before  my 
readers  the  results  of  much  painstaking  research 
in  this  field. 

The  first  mention  I  have  been  able  to  find  of 
Jekyl  Island  occurs  in  a  report  made  to  Queen 
Elizabeth  in  1587,  by  Sir  Francis  Drake.  This 
gallant  admiral  had  captured  and  mercilessly 
plundered  the  Spanish  towns  of  Saint  Jago, 
Cartagena  and  Saint  Augustine,  and  after  leav- 
ing the  last  named  point,  sailed  northerly  along 
the  coast  for  some  hundreds  of  miles.  His 
report  to  Queen  Elizabeth  runs  thus: 

"On  the  1 7th  we  took  an  observation,  and 
found  ourselves  in  latitude  30  deg.  30  min.  N., 
and  near  a  large  island,  which  we  felt  sure  was 
the  land  where  we  had  information  of  a  Spanish 
settlement  of  magnitude.  Seeing  some  log 
houses,  we  decided  to  make  a  landing.  We 
unfurled  the  standard  of  Saint  George  and 
approached  the  shore  in  great  force,  that  we 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  13 

might  impress  the  enemy  with  the  great  puis- 
sance of  your  Majesty.  The  accursed  Span- 
iards, concealed  behind  the  trees,  fired  upon  us, 
and  a  sore  and  cruel  fight  seemed  pendent, 
when  the  enemy,  stricken  with  fear,  inconti- 
nently fled  to  their  homes,  with  their  habili- 
ments of  war.  One  of  our  men  was  sorely 
wounded  by  the  Spanish  Captain,  whom  we 
presently  made  prisoner,  and,  having  set  up  a 
gallows,  we  there  hanged  him  in  a  chain  by  the 
middle,  and  afterwards  consumed  with  fire, 
gallows  and  all. 

To  us  was  the  good  God  most  merciful  and 
gracious,  in  that  he  permitted  us  to  kill  eight- 
een Spaniards,  bitter  enemies  of  your  sweet 
Majesty.  \Ye  further  wasted  the  country  and 
brought  it  to  utter  ruin.  \Ye  burned  their 
houses  and  killed  their  few  horses,  mules  and 
cattle,  eating  what  we  could  of  the  fresh  beef 
and  carrying  the  rest  aboard  our  ships.  Hav- 
ing in  mind  the  merciful  disposition  of  your 
gracious  Majesty,  we  did  not  kill  the  women 
and  children,  but  having  destroyed  upon  the 
island  all  their  provisions  and  property,  and 


14  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

taken  u\vay  all  their  weapons,  we  left  them  to 
starve. 

In  view  was  another  considerable  island, 
fifteen  miles  to  the  northward,  concerning 
which  we  asked  of  the  women  if  any  Spaniards 
dwelt  thereon.  '1  he  women  were  most  un- 
gracious, sullen  and  obstinate,  perchance  from 
their  husbands  having  been  killed  before  their 
eyes,  and  wickedly  refused  to  answer  us,  but 
after  we  had  burned  a  hole  with  a  hot  iron 
through  the  tongue  of  the  most  venomous  of 
their  number,  they  eftsoons  told  us  that  there 
were  no  Spaniards  upon  the  other  island;  that 
it  was  the  haunt  of  ;i  solitary  Frenchman 
named  Jacques,  who  claimed  it  as  his  own.  and 
that  from  him  it  was  known  as  'Jacques  He.' 
Fearing  that  the  women,  instigated  by  the 
devil,  were  deceiving  us,  we  visited  the  other 
inland,  with  the  holy  determination  to  exter- 
minate any  enemies  of  your  sacred  Majesty 
thereon,  but  found  the  story  of  the  women  was 
true.  The  Frenchman  Jacques  had  a  hut  near 
the  water,  where  he  lived  with  an  Indian  pagan 
as  his  wife.  lie  had  a  liberal  store  of  turtle's 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  15 

eggs,  gathered  in  the  sand,  which  we  took  from 
him,  as  also  his  carbine  and  forty  pounds  of 
ambergris,  which  he  had  collected  from  the 
sea,  but  did  him  no  further  harm.  We  took 
here  another  observation,  finding  the  latitude 
31  deg.  10  min.  N." 

The  latitude  mentioned  by  Drake  indicates 
that  he  visited  first  what  is  now  known  as 
Cumberland  Island,  and  later,  Jekyl  Island, 
the  name  by  which  the  latter  island  is  known 
being  evidently  a  corruption  of  its  early  cog- 
nomen, the  transition  from  Jacques  lie  to  Jekyl 
being  easy  and  natural. 

The  next  mention  I  find  relative  to  Jekyl 
Island  occurs  in  a  volume  published  by  \Vm. 
Dampier,  in  1/29,  entitled,  "Two  Voyages 
to  the  Bay  of  Campeachy."  This  eminent 
navigator,  author  and  pirate,  set  out  from  Vir- 
ginia in  1684,  on  a  buccaneering  expedition 
against  the  Spanish  settlements.  He  says: 

"  The  next  morning,  being  now  nearly 
arrived  at  the  Florida  coast,  we  landed  upon 
an  island  in  latitude  31  dcg.  12  min.  X.  fora 
supply  of  fresh  water." 


1C  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

The  latitude  indicates  the  location  of  Jekyl 
Island.  Dumpier  continues: 

"  Near  the  spot  where  we  Landed  we  found 
a:i  abundance  of  fresh  water  and  also  a  few 
huts,  which  were  inhabited  by  peaceable  sava- 
ges. .Much  surprised  were  we  to  find  that  they 
spoke  a  lan^ua^e  in  which  were  found  occu- 
sionallv  French  words.  \Ve  soon  learned  that 
the}'  were  largely  the  descendants  of  a  French- 
man who  had  lon^  before  lived  upon  the  island 
and  married  many  Indian  wives.  From  him 
the  place  was  called  'lacques  Island.'  The 
natural  depravity  of  the  pagans  appeared,  as 
\\  e  noticed  that  the  French  words  were  few  in 
their  usual  conversation,  but  that  they  had 
hoarded  many  French  curses  and  bitter  pro- 
fanities, which  the}'  heaped  upon  us  us  we  left 
tlie  island,  for  no  other  reason,  as  we  could 
conjecture,  except  that  we  had  taken  with  us 
their  cuttle,  weapons,  furs,  provisions  and  other 
articles  which  mi;.Mit  be  useful  to  us  thereafter." 

Alter  thi-.  landing  ot  Dampicr,  I  find  scanty 
mention  of  lekyl  I>land  prior  to  tile-  founding 
of  the  <  ieor.Mu  colon}-  under  (ieilerul  las.  F. 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKVL  ISLAND.  17 

Oglcthorpe,  in  1735.  The  first  settlement  was 
at  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Savannah,  but 
later,  General  Oglcthorpe  determined  upon 
Saint  Simon's  Island  as  the  most  advantageous 
location  fora  colony.  There  are  three  large  isl- 
ands oil  the  Georgia  coast :  Cumberland,  already 
mentioned  as  the  landing  place  of  Sir  Francis 
Drake,  is  the  most  southerly;  north  of  this  is 
Jekyl  Island,  and  still  further  north  is  the 
Island  of  Saint  Simons.  Both  the  other  islands 
are  plainly  visible  from  Jekyl.  To  be  near  his 
settlement  of  a  large  colony  on  Saint  Simon's 
Island,  and  still  to  have  the  isolation  and  dig- 
nity proper  to  the  gubernatorial  state,  ()gle- 
thorpe  selected  Jekyl  as  his  own  residence,  and 
built  there  a  commodious  mansion  of  logs. 
Lad\'  Oglethorpe,  in  one  of  her  letters,  speaks 
of  having  brought  from  the  mainland  and 
planted  near  the  family  mansion  some  roots  of 
vellow  |essumine,  not  indigenous  to  the  island. 


is  still  growing  near  the  solitary  chimney 
,dread\'  mentioned,  although  not  lound  else- 
where upon  the  island,  is  confirmatory  <>t  the 


18  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

legend  that  this  chimney  marks  the  spot  where 
stood  the  baronial  log  castle  of  the  Ogle- 
thorpes. 

General  Oglethorpe  was  a  soldier  of  tried 
and  unquestioned  valor,  an  educated  and  accom- 
plished gentleman  of  great  ability  and  pleasing 
address,  to  whose  manly  and  martial  figure 
scant  justice  is  done  in  the  otherwise  admirable 
statue  belonging  to  the  Century  Club  of  Xew 
York. 

Prior  to  the  founding  of  the  Georgia  colony 
the  island  appears  to  have  been  only  occasion- 
ally visited  by  hunters  or  fishermen,  and  after 
this  date  the  change  of  the  original  name, 
"Jacques  Isle,"  to  Jekyl,  seems  to  have  become 
generally  recognized,  the  island  being  always 
spoken  of  as  Jekyl  in  the  correspondence  and 
documents  of  Governor  Oglethorpe. 

.After  the  founding  of  the  Georgia  colony, 
the  records  of  the  island  are  for  some  time 
reasonably  complete.  For  the  data  to  which 
I  will  have  time  to  refer  at  present,  I  am 
almost  entirely  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of 
Colonel  Jefferson  Davis  Twiggs,  the  Secretary 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  19 

of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society,  and  a  son 
of  the  General  Twiggs,  whose  gallantry  and 
bravery  were  conspicuous  in  the  war  with 
Mexico.  The  collection  of  manuscripts  and 
public  documents  relative  to  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  State  is  large,  and  fortunately 
escaped  the  destruction  which  befell  so  many 
similar  collections  during  the  civil  war. 

The  Georgia  colony  was  originally  organized 
as  a  home  for  unfortunate  but  industrious  and 
worthy  people.  The  first  prospectus  stated 
that,  as  colonists,  all  idle  and  vicious  people 
would  be  excluded,  as  also  all  married  men  dis- 
posed to  leave  their  families  behind.  Slavery 
was  forbidden.  Among  the  people  afterward 
notable,  connected  with  the  early  settlement, 
were  Charles  and  John  Wesley  and  George 
Whitefield.  Charles  Wesley  was  sent  as  secre- 
tary to  General  Oglethorpe  and  John  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  Indians.  On  the  return  of  John 
to  England,  in  1737,  Whitefield  was  sent  by  the 
trustees  to  take  his  place. 

When  General  Oglethorpe  established  him- 
self on  Jekyl  Island  with  his  family,  secretary 


20  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

and  servants,  the  island  became  virtually  the 
capital  of  the  Georgia  colony.  Both  General 
and  Lady  Oglethorpe  and  the  secretary  often 
visited  Savannah,  which,  with  the  country 
about  it,  continued  to  be  the  principal  center 
of  population  as  long  as  Oglethorpe  remained 
in  America,  which  was  for  a  period  of  ten  years. 
This  period,  from  1733  to  1743,  is  the  romantic 
and  picturesque  period  in  the  history  of  the 
island,  as  the  plan  of  General  Oglethorpe  to 
make  Saint  Simon's  Island  the  principal  settle- 
ment, and  Jekyl  Island  the  government  head- 
quarters, was  not  carried  out,  and  Jekyl  Island, 
after  his  return  to  England,  seems  to  have 
been  substantially  abandoned.  Nearly  all  evi- 
dences of  the  occupation  of  the  island  were 
dissipated  by  time,  and  the  island  itself  was 
practically  deserted  for  the  greater  part  of  a 
century. 

Among  the  manuscripts  preserved  in  the 
archives  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society  are 
various  regulations  prescribed  by  General  Ogle- 
thorpe for  the  government  of  the  colony,  and 
considerable  correspondence  passing  between 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAXD.  21 

himself,  his  secretaries  and  Lady  Oglethorpe, 
which  are  of  interest  as  illustrating  the  experi- 
ences and  hardships  connected  with  the  period 
of  this  first  occupation  of  Jekyl  Island. 

In  1734  Lady  Oglethorpe  writes  to  her  hus- 
band, then  absent  at  Savannah.  She  says: 

"Since  your  departure,  my  clearest  husband, 
all  the  pigs  have  escaped  into  the  dreadful 
wilderness  about  us,  and  we  fear  daily  that 
they  will  be  captured  and  eaten  by  the  savages. 
The  Chief,  Altamaha,  and  his  band,  are  still 
upon  the  island,  and  yesterday  he  came  and 
begged  tobacco  and  sugar,  and  also  demanded 
of  me  our  maid  servant  Lli/abeth  as  his  wife, 
much  to  her  astonishment  and  terror.  lie  was 
dressed  in  all  his  barbaric  finery,  painted  and 
bedaubed  in  as  many  colors  as  the  coat  <>l 
Joseph,  and  decorated  with  feathers,  bears' 
claws  and  bright  colored  shells,  as  befitted 
a  man  equipped  for  female  conquest.  The 
wretched  pagan  has  already  three  wives,  whom 
he  treats  worse  than  beasts  of  burden,  and  I 
think  this  somewhat  influenced  Lli/abcth.  as. 
had  he  been  unmarried,  the  prospect  of  being 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

a  queen,  even  of  the  wild  and  savage  Tusca- 
roras,  might  have  moved  her.  These  Indians 
are  soon  to  return  northward,  as  the  Choctaws 
claim  the  country  hereabout,  and  the  Tusca- 
roras,  while  boasting  to  fear  nothing,  yet  love 
their  own  scalps  to  remain  where  the  good  God 
placed  them. 

During  your  absence  I  have  again  been 
troubled  by  a  slight  but  authentic  attack  of  the 
gout,  and  long  unceasingly  for  your  return." 

In  173^,  when  Lady  Oglethorpe  was  in  Savan- 
nah, Charles  \Yeslcy  writes  her  from  Jekyl 
Island  thus: 

"  I  have  but  this  da}-  returned  from  the  trip 
to  the  Ogeechee  River,  where  I  suffered  many 
hardships  and  privations  from  the  inhospitable 
weather.  With  my  brother  John,  I  preached 
to  the  Indians,  whenever  we  could  find  them  in 
any  considerable  numbers,  although  I  fear  but 
little  impression  was  made  upon  them.  Their 
simple  and  untutored  minds  find  difficulty  in 
comprehending  the  beautiful  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity,  or  in  reali/.ing  the  sublimity  of  a  pure 
and  sinless  Saviour  suffering  untold  asjonies 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  23 

for  the  crimes  of  wicked  men.  One  of  these 
pagans,  whose  mind  had  been  heretofore  in 
total  darkness,  when  urged  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian, retorted  that  Christians  lied  and  cheated 
when  buying  furs  and  were  drunkards,  and  said 
that,  as  these  men  were  Christians,  he  would 
none  of  it.  so  hardened  by  the  wiles  of  Satan 
are  these  unbelievers  against  the  truths  of  the 
gospel. 

"Last  evening  I  wandered  to  the  north  end  of 
the  island  and  stood  upon  the  narrow  point, 
which  your  ladyship  will  recall  as  there  pro- 
jecting into  the  ocean.  The  vastness  of  the 
watery  waste,  as  compared  with  my  standing 
place,  called  to  mind  the  briefness  of  human 
life,  and  the  immensity  of  its  consequences, 
and  my  surroundings  inspired  me  to  write  a 
hymn,  commencing: 

Lo !  on  a  narrow  neck  of  land, 
'Twixt  two  unbounded  seas  I  stand, 

which  I  trust  may  pleasure  your  ladyship,  weak 
and  feeble  as  it  is  when  compared  with  the 
songs  of  the  sweet  psalmist  of  Israel.  I  feel 
that  here,  like  Moses,  I  am  a  stranger  in  a 


24  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAXD. 

strange   land,  and  I  pray  hourly  that  when  the  . 
night  cometh,  and  when  deep  sleep  falleth  upon 
me,    I   may   not    be   found   without   a  wedding 
garment." 

Extracts  from  a  letter  from  John  \Yesley  to 
General  Oglethorpe  illustrate  some  of  the  early 
experiences  of  this  noted  evangelist.  Me  says: 

"After  leaving  Jekyl  Island  came  a  most 
wearisome  journey  of  five  days  through  swamps 
and  forests,  when  we  reached  the  place  for  the 
annual  council  of  the  Choctaws,  and  found  the 
savages  gathered  in  great  numbers.  As  I  ga/.ed 
upon  the  multitude  of  idolaters,  to  whom  I  would 
fain  be  the  messenger  bearing  the  good  tidings 
of  great  joy.  I  was  filled  with  a  deep  pity  for 
their  unhappy  state,  and,  as  a  hen  gathereth  her 
chickens  under  her  wings,  felt  to  gladly  labor 
until  i  enter  the  house  appointed  for  all  the 
living,  to  bring  them  within  the  fold  purchased 
for  a  sin-laden  world.  I  had  with  me  as  in- 
terpreter the  half-breed,  Mary  Musgrove,  and 
daily  had  meetings  for  instruction  and  prayer. 
and  tru-t  that  the  future  may  show  that  some 
of  the  seed  thus  sown  has  fallen  upon  good 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  25 

ground.  One  woman  was  baptized.  She  was 
of  those  which  conic  out  of  great  tribulation, 
her  husband  and  all  her  three  children  having 
been  drowned  four  days  before  in  crossing  the 
Ogeechee  River,  and  her  happiness  in  the  gos- 
pel caused  me  to  feel  that,  like  Job,  the  Master 
had  caused  the  widow's  heart  to  sing  for  j<>y. 
She  was  again  married  the  day  following  her 
baptism,  and  when  I  suggested  longer  days  of 
mourning,  she  only  replied  that  her  first  hus- 
band was  surely  dead,  and  that  his  successor 
was  of  much  substance,  having  a  cornfield  and 
a  gun.  I  have  acquired  sundry  words  of  the 
language  of  the  Choctaws,  and  long  to  be  able 
to  speak  to  them  in  their  mother  tongue.  I 
doubt  the  interpreter,  Mary  Musgrove,  who  is 
yet  in  the  valley  and  shadow  of  darkness.  To 
speak  to  the  idolatrous  Choctaws  in  the  Kng- 
lish  language  is  as  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a 
pot:  is  as  one  who  would  essay  to  draw  out  the 
leviathan  with  a  hook:  who  should  seek"  to  bind 
the  sweet  influences  of  the  Pleiades,  or  loose 
the  bands  of  ( )rion. 

Vcrilv   the   flesh   is  weak,   for   I    cannot    but 


26  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

long  for  the  clay  when  again  I  may  visit  you 
and  enjoy  the  flesh-pots  of  Jekyl  Island.  I 
can  with  difficulty  eat  the  food  of  the  savages. 
Insects  bite  and  destroy  my  sleep.  I  am  as  a 
skeleton,  and  the  evil  one  continually  suggests 
that  I  murmur  at  my  lot,  and  seek  an  easier 
way  in  which  to  serve  the  Lord." 

In  1736  came  to  John  Wesley  the  experience 
of  an  earthly  love,  but  the  woman  who  was  its 
object  married  another,  and  this  disappoint- 
ment caused  the  great  evangelist  to  free  his 
mind  as  to  the  woman  and  her  husband  in  such 
language  that  he  was  indicted  for  libel,  and 
tied  to  England  to  escape  imprisonment,  where- 
upon George  Whitefield  was  chosen  by  the 
trustees  as  his  successor,  and  arrived  at  Jekyl 
Island  iii  1737. 

In  further  illustration  of  early  life  upon  the 
island,  I  copy  one  of  the  letters  of  Lady  Oglc- 
thorpe  to  Sir  Theophilus,  the  father  of  her  hus- 
band. 

"  IH.AK    AM)    IIONOKF.D    PAKE.VI    : 

I  take  my  pen  in  hand  to  inform  you  that 
mv  dear  husband  ami  mvself  are  well  and  I 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  27 

hope  these  few  lines  may  find  you  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  same  great  blessing.  We  are  now 
established  in  our  new  home  on  Jekyl  Island, 
and  I  would  fain  give  you  a  picture  of  this 
abode  of  the  Governor  of  this  promising  colony. 
The  mansion  is  built  of  pine  logs,  plastered, 
where  plastered  at  all,  with  clay,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  dense  forest.  The  house  is  very 
large  and  commodious,  but  lacking  many  of  the 
conveniences  of  our  pleasant  home  in  Surrey. 
We  sleep  on  beds  made  of  pine  leaves,  which 
are  most  comfortable  and  exhale  a  balsamic 
fragrance  supposed  to  be  conducive  to  health. 
Our  floors  are  of  split  pine  logs,  and  about  the 
walls  are  wooden  pegs  upon  which  to  hang  our 
srowns.  Much  of  our  china  was  broken  on  our 

o 

journey  hither,  and  we  use  instead  the  pewter 
mugs  and  plates  brought  for  our  servants.  A 
few  red  savages  are  near  us,  living  in  wigwams, 
who  beg  often  for  tobacco,  but  bring  us  in  re- 
turn an  abundance  of  venison  and  fish.  The 
secretary  of  the  colony,  Charles  Wesley,  dwells 
with  us  upon  the  island,  and  is  zealous  to  save 
the  souls  of  the  Indians  who  come  hither  to 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

hunt  and  to  fish.  lie  baptized  a  week  since 
one  Indian  and  made  him  a  part  of  Christian- 
it}-,  but  later,  for  what  reasons  we  cannot  divine, 
though  certainly  through  evil  temptations  of 
the  father  of  idolatry,  the  devil,  he  suddenly 
cast  off  the  Christian  religion  and  abandoned 
the  true,  divine  worship.  Mr.  Wesley  has  also 
the  gift  of  verse,  and  has  written  many  sweet 
hymns,  which  we  sing  in  our  family  worship. 
Last  week  came  several  cloud}-  and  dismal 
days,  which  he  reported  to  us  had  inspired  him 
to  write  a  hymn  contrasting  the  shadowed  life 
here  with  the  brightness  of  that  which  is  to 
come.  It  begins  thus  : 

Xo  need  of  the  sun  in  that  day 

Which  never  is  followed  by  ni,<;ht, 
Where  Jesus's  beauties  display 

A  pure  and  a  permanent  lis^ht. 

A  few  days  later  he  wrote  another,  after  a 
most  brilliant  sunset,  which  we  had  all  sur- 
veyed with  delight : 

With  glorious  clouds  encompassed  round. 

Whom  angels  dimly  see, 
Will  the  unsearchable  be  found, 

Or  God  appear  to  me. 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  29 

From  these  lines  you  will  see  his  readiness  to 
draw  instructive  lessons  from  all  the  incidents  of 
daily  life,  although,  as  you  will  see  later,  some- 
times his  hymns  come  near  to  involve  him  in 
trouble. 

He  is  of  much  self-denial  and  oftentimes  of 
almost  ascetic  life,  as  appears  from  one  of  his 
hymns  commencing, 

I  do  suspect  some  danger  nigh 
When  I  do  feel  delight. 

From  what  I  have  written,  you  must  not 
infer  that  we  live  altogether  a  lonely  and  quiet 
life.  We  have  twice  visited  Charleston,  the 
principal  city  of  South  Carolina,  where  we  have 
been  sumptuously  entertained  by  the  governor 
and  principal  citizens,  whom  we  have,  of  course, 
invited  to  visit  us  in  return.  Recently  we  re- 
ceived word  that  our  invitations  would  be  ac- 
cepted. \Ye  had  informed  them  of  our  primi- 
tive mode  of  life,  which  they  fully  realized, 
having  been  in  similar  conditions  themselves. 
Last  Wednesday  we  were  startled  by  a  long 
blast  from  a  conch  shell,  and  on  going  to  the 
beach  saw  a  large  party  approaching  in  a  flat 


30  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

boat,  men,  women,  negroes,  horses  and  dogs. 
The}-  were  soon  disembarked  and  at  the  house. 
where  General  Oglethorpe  made  them  welcome 
with  an  abundance  of  rum  made  by  the  Puri- 
tans in  that  part  of  .America  called  New  Eng- 
land. They  then  told  us  that  not  to  overtax  our 
hospitalities,  they  had  brought  with  them  an 
abundance  of  food  and  servants,  and  proposed 
to  goat  once  to  some  suitable  place  upon  the 
shore  and  roast  oysters.  \Ve  set  out  for  a  cove 
about  a  mile  distant  from  our  home.  The 
progress  towards  it  was  a  striking  and  curious 
pageant.  First,  marched  as  trumpeter,  a  stal- 
wart negro,  blowing  a  conch  shell  and  produc- 
ng  a  dismal  and  incessant  blare.  Then  Gen- 
eral Oglethorpe  on  horseback,  with  myself  be- 
hind him  on  a  pillion,  and  a  negro  on  a  mule. 
carrying  my  best  hat  in  a  box.  lest  it  be  de- 
stroyed by  the  trees  and  bushes.  Then  our 
family  coach,  with  one  wheel  missing  from  an 
encounter  with  a  stump,  the  axle  being  held  up 
by  a  pole,  and  within  the  family  of  Governor 
Pickens,  his  wife,  sister  and  a  niece,  Miss  Mercy 
Pickens.  Then  t\vo  open  wagons  with  the 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  .'51 

other  ladies  of  the  party,  and  some  jugs  of  rum 
and  boxes  of  food.  About  these  rode  the 
gentlemen  on  horses  and  mules,  among  them 
Mr.  George  Moultrie,  a  gallant  young  man  who 
is  soon  to  wed  Miss  Mercy  before  named. 
Around  the  cavalcade  swarmed  the  negroes, 
shouting  and  laughing,  rolling  their  white  eyes, 
and  showing  their  white  teeth  in  contrast  to 
their  shining  black  skins,  and  singing  songs  full 
of  melody  and  pathos.  They  seemed  to  bear 
the  names  of  all  the  heathen  divinities  and 
historic  heroes.  I  recall  Diana,  Mora,  Phyllis, 
C;esar,  Pompey,  Hannibal,  Jupiter,  and  many 
more. 

The  road  to  the  beach,  while  rude  and  rough 
for  vehicles  by  reason  of  roots  and  stumps, 
is  of  wonderful  beauty,  bordered  with  great 
growths  of  evergreen  oaks  and  magnolias,  with 
thickets  of  myrtle  and  bay,  and  a  carpet  of 
dwarf  palmetto,  all  of  most  lustrous  green,  and 
the  trees  often  festooned  or  bound  together 
with  trailing  garlands  of  pale,  gray  moss.  1  lie- 
most  perfect  art  could  devise  nothing  more 
beautiful  than  the  tropical  glories  of  this  forest 


32  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

drive.  When  \ve  reached  the  cove  the  negroes 
waded  into  the  water  and  brought  ashore  great 
baskets  of  oysters,  which  the}"  roasted  in  a  fire 
kindled  from  branches  of  the  fragrant  pine. 
General  Oglethorpe  brewed  a  large  tub  of  rum 
punch,  while  I  made  a  bowl  of  delicious  sanga- 
ree  with  wine  from  your  own  cellar,  which  has 
been  with  us  from  the  time  of  our  leaving  dear 
old  England.  No  one  neglected  these  bever- 
ages, and  with  the  oysters,  the  cheese  and  other 
viands  with  which  we  were  provided,  a  royal 
banquet  was  enjoyed.  Many  of  the  gentlemen 
were  nearly  overcome  with  the  rum  punch, 
although  insisting  that  it  was  the  roasted  oys- 
ters which  made  their  legs  unsteady,  and  this 
had  nearly  led  Mr.  Wesley  into  serious  trouble 
with  Mr.  Moult rie,  whose  almost  maudlin  at- 
tentions to  his  sweetheart.  Miss  Merc}',  were 
constant  and  even  annoying  to  her. 

As  Mr.  Wesley  drank  no  punch,  they  insisted 
he  should  sing,  and  he  commenced  one  of  his 
hymns  which  is  a  favorite  with  us: 

"  Depth  of  mercy,  can  there  be 
Mercy  still  reserved  for  me  ?  "- 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  J5IJ 

"  Hold,"  shouted  Mr.  Moultrie,  "none  of  your 
damned  presumption.  Mercy  is  not  reserved 
for  you  or  any  of  your  kind.  She  is  mine  and 
mine  alone."  General  Oglethorpe  interfered 
and  endeavored  to  explain,  but  Mr.  Moultrie 
would  listen  to  nothing,  and  proposed  to  give 
the  Secretary  a  drubbing  on  the  spot.  I  suc- 
ceeded in  quieting  him,  and  asked  Mr.  Wesley 
to  substitute  another  hymn,  whereupon  he  com- 
menced : 

"The  day  of  jubilee  is  come, 
Return  ye  ransomed  sinners  home." 

"  What !  "  shouted  my  husband,  "  are  you 
ordering  away  my  guests  on  their  very  arrival  .' 
None  of  your  foolishness."  ''  Sir,"  said  Mr. 
Wesley,  "  I  was  not  addressing  your  guests.  I 
do  not  consider  them  as  ransomed  sinners." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  said  Governor  Pick- 
ens;  "go,  and  drum  your  nonsense  into  the 
woolly  head  of  the  negroes." 

The  riot  was  presently  at  an  end,  Mr.  Wesley 
returning  to  the  house,  and  was  forgotten  utter 
the  gentlemen  had  slept  off  their  potations. 

The  party  remained  with  us  for  three  days, 


34  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

and  until  the  rum  \vas  exhausted,  the  gentle- 
men hunting  daily  and  the  ladies  riding  about 
the  island  and  telling  us  all  the  gossip  and 
scandals  of  Charleston.  The  hunters  brought 
in  an  abundance  of  game,  and  this  was  cooked 
and  served  by  the  negro  servants  brought  with 
our  visitors,  whose  skill  made  us  almost  regret 
General  Oglethorpc's  determination  that  no 
slaves  shall  be  held  in  the  Georgia  colony. 
Xo  more  at  present  from  your  dutiful 

daughter, 

DOK<  >TIIY  O<,LKTH<  »RPK." 

I  will  conclude  with  extracts  from  two  letters 
of  George  \Yhitefield  to  General  Oglethorpe, 
written  with  an  interval  of  about  thirty  years 
between,  which  illustrate  a  curious  phase  in 
the  life  of  this  famous  preacher.  Whitefield, 
soon  after  his  arrival  in  Georgia,  built  what  he 
called  an  Orphanage,  an  institution  where  poor 
and  neglected  children  could  be  cared  for, 
educated  and  fitted  for  useful  lives.  During 
his  subsequent  years  this  institution  was  his 
constant  care;  he  solicited  money  for  it  in  all 
his  fields  of  labor.  In  1739  he  writes  to  Gen- 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL   ISLAND.  :r> 

oral  Oglethorpe  thus,  lie  being  at  tliat  time  in 
Savannah : 

''I  have  just  this  day  reached  Jekyl  Island, 
after  an  absence  of  three  weeks,  the  most  of 
\vhich  time  was  spent  at  the  Orphanage  and  in 
its  vicinity.  The  dear  children  are  well  and 
happy.  Last  February  I  decided  to  plant  a 
farm,  with  the  view  of  using  the  gain  there- 
from to  carry  forward  the  work  of  the  Orphan- 
age. I  am  more  than  ever  convinced  of  the 
wisdom  of  excluding  slavery  from  the  Georgia 
colony.  Slavery  is  the  sum  of  all  villainies 
and  abominations,  and  could  I  secure  money 
in  other  ways,  I  would  never  touch  again  the 
contributions  from  the  Carolina*  and  Virginia, 
made  by  the  slave  owners,  whose  wealth  is 
gained  from  the  unpaid  labor  of  wretched 
negroes  or  by  the  infamous  traffic  in  human 
flesh.  Scarcel\-  shall  such  men  inherit  eternal 
life.  The  gates  of  the  celestial  city  shall  rarely 
open  to  those  who  traffic  in  the  bodies  and 
souls  of  men.  They  have  made  a  covenant 
with  death  and  with  hell  they  are  at  agreement. 

1  hired  several  people  who  had  no  homes  or 


36  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

employment  to  cultivate  the  plantation,  and 
now  that  the  crops  are  gathered,  I  am  in 
despair  to  find  that  there  is  no  gain,  but  a  loss. 
The  Master  hath  said,  the  laborer  is  worthy  of 
his  hire,  but  the  wages  of  the  workman  absorb 
the  value  of  the  harvest  and  more.  I  entered 
upon  the  work  with  lofty  hopes,  but  pride 
goeth  before  destruction  and  a  haughty  spirit 
before  a  fall.  Let  not  him  that  girdeth  on  his 
harness  boast  himself  as  he  that  putteth  it  off.  " 

Nearly  thirty  years  after  the  writing  of  this 
letter,  and  near  the  close  of  Whitefield's  life, 
I  find  another  letter  from  him  to  General  Ogle- 
thorpe.  The  General  had  long  before  returned 
to  England.  \Yhitefield  had  spent  the  inter- 
vening years  in  public  work,  having  seven  times 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  preaching  with  wonderful 
effect  in  all  parts  of  the  New  World,  but  having 
always  in  mind  his  Orphanage,  for  which  he 
constantly  labored  and  solicited  aid.  The  letter 
runs  thus : 
••  Mv  DEAR  AND  HONORED  FRIEND: 

I    am  but   now  returned  from  a  trip  through 
Virginia  and    the    Carolinas,  during    \vhich    I 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JKKYL  ISLAND.  :J7 

made  a  short  visit  to  the  Orphanage,  which  is 
as  ever  dear  to  my  heart.  The  recollection  of 
your  encouragement  and  help  in  this  valiant 
work:  of  the  pleasant  years  when  I  was  often 
with  you  at  Jekyl  Island,  cheered  bv  your  wise 
and  helpful  counsel,  have  minded  me  to  again 
write  you  something  of  myself  and  my  labors. 
I  am  come  to  the  time  in  life  when  the  grass- 
hopper is  a  burden;  my  strength  is  weakness, 
my  days  are  swifter  than  a  weaver's  shuttle. 
As  William  Shakespeare — a  man  given  over- 
much to  vain  imaginings,  vet  whose  lips  oft- 
times  are  touched  with  celestial  tire,  as  he  has 
said : 

Like  as  the  waves  make  toward  the  pebbled  shore. 
So  do  our  minutes  hasten  to  their  end. 
I  trust  that    my  labors  in  the  Master's   work 
have   not   been   in    vain,  vet,  as  I    consider  my 
days    and   their  approaching  end,  chiefly  do   I 
value   mvself  upon   the  many  children    \\hom 
the  dear  Orphanage  has  transformed  from  im- 
pendinglives  of  vice  and  sin  to  faithful  servants 
of  the  Master.    Three  years  since  a  Carolinian, 


38  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKVL  ISLAND. 

who  at  one  of  our  meetings  had  found  the  pearl 
of  great  price,  gave  me  three  healthy  negroes, 
told  me  of  the  great  gain  in  the  cultivation  of 
tobacco,  and  that  a  tobacco  plantation  would  of 
itself  nearlv  maintain  the  Orphanage.  I  took 
the  monev  which  had  been  contributed  for  the 
good  work,  bought  a  small  plantation  in  South 
Carolina,  as  slavery  was  forbidden  in  Georgia, 
bought  also  nine  other  strong  negro  men  and 
women,  and  planted  tobacco.  Mv  agent  has 
each  year  secured  bountiful  crops.  The  Lord 
lias  abundantly  blessed  our  labors.  The  ne- 
groes work  from  sunrise  to  sunset  in  the  fields, 
and  bv  moonlight  cultivate  the  mai/e,  which  is 
their  food.  The  clothing  for  all  costs  scarcely 
a  pound  in  the  vear,  and  having  to  pav  them 
no  wages  nor  to  buv  them  food,  the  results  are 
most  hopeful.  Daily  and  nightly  do  I  praise 
the  Lord  for  these  bountiful  harvests,  and  prav 
that  lie  whose  mercv  endureth  forever  mav 
continue  to  bless  our  fields,  and  to  cause  the 
labor  of  these  negro  slaves  to  bear  abundant 
fruit  in  the  salvation  of  the  many  little  ones 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  P/J 

who  arc  ready  to  perish.  Yerilv  the  word 
fitly  spoken  by  my  adviser  of  the  tobacco 
plantation  has  been  as  apples  of  gold  in  pict- 
ures of  silver. 

But,  my  friend,  long  and  dearly  loved,  I 
must  come  to  an  end.  1'erchance  no  more 
shall  I  ga/e  into  thy  eyes  and  grasp  thy  hand 
upon  this  earth  ;  with  me  the  fashion  of  this 
world  passeth  away,  but  the  love  which  is 
stronger  than  death  is  my  stay  and  my  comfort 
forever." 

It  has  been  with  me  a  labor  of  love  to  rescue 
from  undeserved  oblivion  some  few  of  the  inci- 
dents in  what  may  be  termed  the  halcyon  clays 
of  Jckyl  Island.  During  my  stay  at  the  Club 
House,  and  since,  in  conversation  with  the 
members,  I  have  found  no  one  who  had  searched 
out,  or  was  in  any  way  familiar  with,  the  period 
of  its  occupation  by  Oglcthorpc.  F.ven  the 
vague  tradition  that  it  had  been  thus  occupied 
was  often  questioned.  But  even  the  meagre 
glimpse  \vhich  I  have  been  able  to  afford  of 
these  picturesque  ten  years  gives  to  the  spot  a 
much  needed  historic  interest.  Instead  of  be- 


40  THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND. 

ing,  as  generally  believed,  an  island,  dull  and 
uninviting,  where  a  few  negroes  had  cultivated 
and  then  abandoned  small  cotton  fields,  and 
where  a  pleasant  winter  climate  was  its  sole 
excuse  for  being,  it  is  seen  to  be  linked  with 
events  romantic  and  far  reaching  in  our  national 
life.  We  may  in  imagination  picture  General 
Oglethorpe  and  his  lovely  wife  entertaining 
with  royal  hospitality  the  thirsty  governors  of 
North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina,  with  their 
escort  of  fair  women  and  brave  men.  Through 
the  majestic  groves  of  pine,  oak  and  magnolia, 
and  across  the  broad  savannas,  we  may  see 
the  brilliant  array  of  huntsmen  gaily  capari- 
soned, following  their  hounds,  while  the  cheer- 
ing bugle  blasts  echo  far  and  away  through  the 
forest.  We  see  the  huntsmen  returning  home 
with  brush  and  game,  welcomed  by  the  courtly 
dames  as  became  a  gallant  and  victorious 
band  of  warriors;  and  as  the  sun  goes  down 
we  may  see  the  powdered  heroes  leading 
through  the  mazes  of  the  stately  minuet,  on  the 
floor  of  logs,  the  ladies,  brave  in  ruff,  brocade 
and  farthingale. 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  JEKYL  ISLAND.  41 

Under  the  fragrant  pines  we  may  see  the 
council  of  war,  as  General  Oglethorpe  with 
his  subordinates  plans  the  brilliant  though  un- 
successful campaign  against  the  Spanish  citv 
of  St.  Augustine.  Here,  too,  we  see  the 
youthful  Wesley,  the  founder  of  Methodism, 
scarcely  yet  conscious  of  his  mission  and  des- 
tinv  as  he  wanders  dreamily  along  the  shores 
of  the  sounding  sea,  brooding  the  problems  of 
profoundest  moment,  or  shaping  the  sacred 
hymns,  which  have  since,  in  all  climes  and 
tongues,  been  the  consolation  of  humanity. 
And  here,  too,  we  see  George  Whitetield,  the 
most  entrancing  pulpit  orator  of  the  last  two 
centuries,  seeking  often,  after  his  conflict  with 
tlie  hosts  of  sin,  rest  for  bodv  and  mind  in  the 
forests  of  Jekyl  Island:  and,  among  the  same 
wide-spreading  evergreen  oaks,  gray  with  their 
trailing  garlands  of  moss,  under  which  we  mav 
wander  to-dav,  nursing  for  the  lite-long  battle 
his  fascinating  and  magical  eloquence.  Surely, 
Prosper*),  waving  anew  his  magic  wand,  could 
never  summon  from  the  vasty  deep  an  island 
more  historically  picturesque. 


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